Cape May Engagement Session | Allyson & Ryan

March 11, 2022

Last Spring, I photographed Allyson and Ryan’s Cape May Engagement Session! We chose Cape May as the location for their engagement session because Ryan’s family goes to Cape May every year in the off-season, and it’s always a weekend they look forward to. His grandparents were engaged there, they were there when his brother proposed in 2016, and they even played a role in setting up the proposal of two of their best friends there in 2019. It was already a special place, and having their engagement photos there made it even more memorable.

Allyson and Ryan met in high school in 2011, Ryan was a senior and Allyson was a sophomore. For their first date, they believe it was at the custard stand for ice cream, a staple in their little town of Maple Shade, NJ. It was so long ago and informal, neither of them really remember for sure! Allyson knows it’s cheesy, but she says she knew Ryan was the one right away. And Ryan says he cannot remember one exact moment, but over time he came to realize how perfect she was for him.

Allyson, an accountant at a local firm loves Ryan’s sense of humor, she says he can always make her and everyone else around him laugh, so there’s never a dull moment. And Ryan, a field engineer at Lockheed Martin loves Allyson’s smile and infectious laugh.

Engaged on 8/7/2020, the proposal from Allyson: “Ryan and I started looking for our first home around September of 2019. We looked at over 50 houses, and finally landed on our home at the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020. Ryan always wanted to propose in our home. So in August, just a week before my birthday, he took me out to dinner. Of course it started to storm on our way to the restaurant and at this point there was no indoor dining allowed. We ended up still eating outside, in the rain, under an umbrella! It was really important that we were able to stay and eat, because both our families and some friends were setting up the house for our return. Instantly upon getting home I knew something was off because our dog Phoebe didn’t greet us at the door. As soon as I turned the corner, I saw the setup – rose petals, 9 lanterns lit for the number of years we dated, and a sign asking to marry me.”

Allyson and Ryan are planning their wedding at The Legacy Club at Woodcrest in Cherry Hill, NJ on May 6, 2022. Their modern and classic wedding will be filled with lots of greenery, soft colors, and an overall warm and welcoming ambience. When these two aren’t wedding planning, they love to compete so game nights are something they always look forward to. They enjoy going to breweries and wineries, especially if they can bring their pup! They also enjoy staying in and working on their latest home projects. Once married, their dreams include traveling and having a growing family someday that includes children and dogs.

Any advice for future couple’s planning?

Hire Susan! Thank you Allyson & Ryan 😉 She made us feel so comfortable and it felt very effortless. In addition to that, we have been keeping in mind that it is our wedding, and long as we can get married and the big picture is what we have envisioned, we shouldn’t sweat over the little stuff we wont even remember years from now.

And finally, what are you most looking forward to about your wedding day?

Allyson: Walking back down the aisle among our family and friends right after being pronounced as husband and wife.

Ryan: Seeing Allyson in her dress during the first look.